Chapter 513
Yue Fuguang smiled faintly. “Perhaps he may even become the emperor who presides over Nanzhao’s downfall—the shortest-reigning emperor in Nanzhao’s history.”
【If Lords Xu and Wei put in some effort, maybe Prince Cheng could earn the title of a 'Hundred-Day Emperor'.】
"Speaking of the throne, now that the Empress of Nanzhao is gone, which of her children will take the throne?"
【I saw that the Empress left behind a decree, passing the throne to Lan Xuan'er, but she won't have the chance to succeed.】
"Why? Is someone planning to move against her?"
【Exactly. The Second Prince, in league with the Empress's close attendant, trusted ministers, and the Marquis of Jing'an, forged a decree, passing the throne to the Second Prince, and ordering the other children to leave for their fiefs in ten days. As for Lan Xuan'er, still staying in Dayan, she is accused of colluding with the enemy and betraying the state—she is to be given the death penalty!】
"System, this plot feels awfully familiar!"
【Host, of course it's familiar—these are all leftovers from the games your ancestors back home played!】
Yue Fuguang's eyes twinkled, "Little Zhu, will Lan Xuan'er go to her death obediently?" In history, there was only ever one well-behaved royal darling, and it remains to be seen how Lan Xuan'er will choose.
She has no troops and no power in her hands; the question is whether she has the courage to defy imperial authority.
"She's in Dayan. As long as she doesn't want to die, no one can force her to." Yue Fuguang believed that with Dayan's current national strength, it wasn't something a small Nanzhao could dictate.
Besides, ordering the execution of his own daughter—Emperor Mingxi himself would first suspect the decree was a forgery.
"What? Someone is questioning Mother Empress's decree?"
While Yue Fuguang was discussing Nanzhao matters with the system, the Nanzhao court was busier than ever due to the Empress's sudden death.
Meanwhile, the future emperor of Nanzhao, the Second Prince Lan Xuancheng, heard his subordinate's report and slammed his teacup onto the floor with a loud crash.
The tea splashed onto the Minister of Rites's official robe. He didn't bother to wipe it off, instead bowing to the Second Prince Lan Xuancheng seated above him, "Second Prince, what arrangements would you have for His Majesty's funeral?"
Outside the hall, the rain poured in torrents; inside the hall, a storm was brewing.
The funeral bells announcing the Empress's death still echoed over the Nanzhao imperial palace, and within a short half hour, the Empress's children had already clashed several times over the succession.
In theory, the funeral rituals for a deceased emperor had established precedents, and the Minister of Rites could have simply followed the standard procedure. But these were troubled times!
It wasn't that he, as Minister of Rites, was incompetent—it was that Nanzhao at this moment truly was, like the weather outside, on the verge of collapse.
The entire court had been busy preparing against potential floods and calming the already restless populace, when suddenly, the core of the nation—the Emperor—was gone. Who wouldn't be distressed?
"The heavy rain has already fallen for six consecutive days. Many people's homes have collapsed, and large areas are flooded. If we still follow the original funeral protocol..."
Then all the high-ranking officials would be attending the Emperor's funeral, leaving too few people to handle the relief work!
"Also, with His Majesty's sudden death, the entire kingdom must go into mourning and wear white. But since more than half the populace has fled into the mountains, it's difficult to notify everyone in time."
Before Lan Xuancheng could respond, the Minister of Rites Xia Wenqi had already moved himself to tears. If His Majesty's funeral were to be simplified, as a veteran minister, he would feel terrible about it—but circumstances demanded it...
"In your opinion, Lord Xia, what should be done?" Lan Xuancheng kicked the ball right back.
Xia Wenqi cursed a hundred times in his heart, but what came out of his mouth was, "Your Highness is the new sovereign who will ascend the throne. Your word is law. Your humble servant will defer entirely to Your Highness!"
He phrased his allegiance euphemistically, kicking the ball back just as skillfully.
Lan Xuancheng glanced at his adoptive father, the Marquis of Jing'an, seated below. Seeing him nod, Lan Xuancheng cleared his throat, and his eyes instantly turned red. "While Mother Empress was alive, she always advocated frugality. Now that state affairs are complicated, with troubles both at home and abroad, and she loved her people like her own children, she surely would not want her funeral to delay the rescue of the afflicted."
"Your Highness, please do not grieve too deeply, lest you harm your health—the late Emperor would worry!" Eunuch Fu, the Empress's close attendant, dutifully offered Lan Xuancheng a silk handkerchief. "Your Highness should focus on matters of state. The late Emperor's funeral arrangements can be entirely entrusted to Lord Xia and the other princes."
No one in the hall spoke up about Eunuch Fu's sudden interjection—they didn't even raise an eyelid. This man's current standing was even more favored than during the Empress's lifetime.
Sure enough, Lan Xuancheng heeded his words and nodded repeatedly. "What Eunuch Fu says is reasonable. My siblings are all Mother Empress's biological children, and they will surely put in more effort than others.
Just now, the Eldest Princess was so grief-stricken over Mother Empress's passing. It would be fitting to entrust the funeral arrangements to them—a way for them to fulfill their final filial duty to our mother."
Eunuch Fu immediately led the chorus, "Your Highness is most wise!"
Xia Wenqi and the six ministers of the ministries, along with a host of high officials, exchanged glances and all bowed in unison, "Your Highness is most wise!"
"Let me in! I want to see Lan Xuancheng!" Amid the chorus of "Your Highness is most wise," a commotion arose outside the hall—the Eldest Princess was causing a scene.
She and her siblings had received news of their mother's death barely an hour ago. And now Lan Xuancheng, who had supposedly been granted the throne but had yet to formally ascend it, was already starting his covert moves against them.
When it came to discussing state affairs with the ministers, even the princes and princesses who had already taken part in politics were excluded—such small-mindedness truly ran in the blood of his biological father, that concubine-born son of the Yue family.
“Eldest Princess, the Second Prince is inside deliberating with the ministers, and without summons, you cannot enter!” The guard blocked the way with his halberd, trying to talk the cluster of princes and princesses back.
Blue Xuanting, never one for patience, flared up at the word “summons.” “Lan Xuancheng has not yet succeeded the throne—what right does he have to issue decrees? Does he dare touch the imperial seal now?”
“Indeed. Though Second Brother is the heir apparent, until the day of his coronation, he may not use the imperial seal without authorization.” The Third Prince, standing behind the Eldest Princess, also stepped forward. “Our mother the Empress has barely grown cold—as her children, we should show her due respect!”
“Third Brother speaks truly.” The Fourth Prince’s lips curled into a cold smirk. “This one recalls that Mother’s imperial seal was always kept under Eunuch Fu’s watch. And now, given how close Eunuch Fu is with Second Brother, one cannot help but wonder.”
“Fourth Brother, wonder about what?” the Fifth Princess couldn’t help but ask.
“Dear Fifth Sister, naturally one wonders whether someone has secretly used the imperial seal—and the succession edict…” The Fourth Prince stopped there, leaving it to the imagination. But everyone around him—everyone except the siblings themselves—broke out in a cold sweat.
Was this something they were hearing for free just by standing in the front row? They hadn’t asked to be first in line for this!
“Fourth Brother, you exaggerate!” The doors to the council hall opened from within, and Lan Xuancheng stood at the threshold, hands clasped behind his back. Behind him trailed Eunuch Fu, the Marquis of Jing’an, and a host of high-ranking officials robed in purple and crimson.
The Fourth Prince absently fingered the jade pendant at his waist, one eyebrow raised. “Second Brother, whether I exaggerate or not—outsiders may not know, but the siblings among us certainly do.”
He turned toward the Eldest Princess. “Eldest Sister, don’t you agree your brother here speaks the truth?”
The Eldest Princess stepped forward, lightly patting the Fourth Prince’s arm. “Fourth Brother is right. Mother doted on every one of us, and as for Little Sixth being accused of colluding with the enemy and sentenced to death—I for one refuse to believe it.”